Cam Newton, Auburn rally past Alabama, 28-27

November 26, 2010|By Matt Murschel

In what could be the biggest test Auburn and Cam Newton will face until the Bowl Championship Series Championship, the No. 2 Tigers rallied from 24 points down in the first half to beat No. 11 Alabama, 28-27 Friday afternoon in Tuscaloosa.

It was a tale of two halves as Alabama used the superior passing of QB Greg McElroy, who finished with a career-high 377 yards and two touchdowns, and a stout defense that held Newton and the rest of the Auburn offense in check most of the first half. Auburn scored on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Emory Blake with 5:08 left in the first half and went into halftime down 24-7.

The Tigers got the ball to start the second half and on the second play, Newton connected with Terrell Zachery on a 70-yard touchdown pass down the left side to cut the deficit to 24-14.

From there, Auburn's defense stepped up big led by Nick Fairley, shutting down the Tide's attack.

Cam Newton's one-yard touchdown plunge with 4:25 in the third quarter made the score 24-21. Alabama turned a fumble on a punt return into a 32-yard field goal that pushed the Tide's lead to 27-21.

Auburn then marched down the field and Cam Newton connected with Philip Lutzenkirchen on a 7-yard touchdown pass for what would be the game-winning score with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers defense hounded McElroy most of the second half, sacking him five times. The final sack knocked him out of the game with what appeared to be a concussion.

Newton finished the day 13-of-20 from 216 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed 22 times for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Alabama's Julio Jones finished with 10 catches for 199 yards including a 68-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Jones had 179 yards in the first half but was hampered by an injury for most of the second half.

Auburn (12-0, 8-0) plays South Carolina on Dec. 4 in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.

Alabama (9-3, 5-3) must now wait to see where it will land for a bowl game. The Capital One Bowl in Orlando is a possible site for the Tide.